Until the day of 22 November 2014, Japanese Sci/Fi addicts could only read about Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar epic on the internet or watch trailers as they were heartily waiting for the release of the movie. That Saturday marked the last major debut of the 169 minute movie and was celebrated accordingly with a number one position in the Japan Box Office of the weekend. A Variety Japan Box Office report sets the numbers for 22-23 November: $1.9 million is said to be allocated to Interstellar, which was watched on 515 screens.
The second place is taken by the romantic drama Miracle: Devil Claus’ Love and Magic with sums reaching a total of around $1.5 million. The third positon belongs to Takashi Miike’s As The Gods Will (Kamisama no iu tori – original title) with $1.3 million. According to the above-mentioned report, the horror/thriller was last week’s number one. The following place (number four) was set for last week’s number two, Pale Moon, which cashed in about $850,000. Number five of the chart shows the SF/Fi Fantasy animation entitled Attack on Titan which got close to the figure of $680,000.
Although not a top Box Office title in the USA Weekend Box Office of it release (because it was topped by the animation Big Hero 6), Interstellar proved to be a sure win in Korea, as well. Another Variety report shows accurate numbers (on 17 November): “Interstellar scored $13.2 million (KRW 14.5 billion), bringing its cumulative score to $35.3 million (KRW 38.8 billion)’’. Deadline explains the big hit of the Sci/Fi starring Matthew McConaughey as astronaut Cooper in the following manner: ‘’There is a very strong and vocal Nolan fan base in Korea, which has generated astronomical word of mouth in the market. I’m told there were a few midnight screenings the night before the opening on November 6, and online buzz began building immediately’’.
Word has it that Interstellar’s big hit in Japan occurred due to The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (or, to be more precise, due to its non-release in the Asian country until the month of May next year). The question remains: Is that the true reason or Interstellar is really a top movie and American charts under evaluated the epic?